Jet-adjusting means



April 11, 1950 w. B; POPE Y 2,503,684

JET-ADJUSTING MEANS Filed Feb. 1, 1944 0 INVENTOR. Wmslow Pope BY f I flmRA/EY Patented Apen, 195o mene assignments, to the United States of lAmerica as represented by the Secretary of War Application February 1, 1944, 4 Serial No. 520,622

(Cl. 102-49i l Claim.

'VI-his invention relates to projectiles and other devices of the character adapted to be initiated in llight by a propelling charge of slow-burning powder or other suitable material.

In one form of the device, the tubular casing having an axially-opening venturi at its trailing end is secured to the rearward end of the projectile proper, and the slow-burning propelling charge is supported within this casing, the gases resulting from the burning of the propelling charge exhausting under pressure through the Venturi passage. i

The object of the present invention is to provide a novel means for manually controlling or adjusting the area of the Venturi passage of a jet-propelled projectile whereby to control the 'propelling pressure developed within the casing thereof and thereby enable the range of the projectile to be predetermind.

With the above and other objects in view, which will be apparent from the following description to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, the present invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing, and then claimed.

In the drawing, which illustrates a suitable embodiment of the invention, s

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a jet or rocket device, partially in section, having the arrangement of the present invention incorporated therein; and

Figure 2 is an enlargedl transverse section taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

4Referring to the accompanying drawing, the projectile, shown for the purpose of illustration, embodies a main body 5 having a chamber 8 for the explosive charge (not shown) and a rearwardly extending apertured portion 'I which supports a coaxial burster tube 8. The propelling charge comprises a number of sticks 9 of slowburning powder or other suitable material carried by a suitable cage in surrounding relation with respect to the burster tube 8. As here shown for the purpose of illustration, the cage comprises a number of rods I extending through the sticks S. a rod-interconnecting ring II at one end and a supporting plate I2 at the opposite end.

The burster tube 8 and the propelling charge are surrounded by a, tubular casing I3 threaded at one end to the rearward end of the main body and having a shoulder I4 at this end for supporting the plate I2. The rearward end of the casing I3 is shaped to provide an axially-opening 2 Venturi passage I S. Suitable stabilizing vanes I6 are pivoted to a ring 25 which is secured to the trailing end of the casing I3, as shown in the drawing.

The present invention is directed to a new and novel arrangement'whereby the cross sectional area of the Venturi passage I3 can beso adjusted and predetermined that the projectile can be projected through flight of a given range. To this end, an adjustable element I1 is provided in coaxial association with the Venturi passage I5. The element I1, while it may be formed in any number of diilerent manners, is shown in the drawing to be in the form of a cast or machined member of annular formation at one end I8 which is adapted to surround the rearward end of the burster tube 8 in slidable and rotatable engagement therewith, and having a closed tapering end portion I9 extending rearwardly therefrom coaxially into the Venturi passage I5. In order to prevent any substantial lateral deiiectonv of the element I1, the rearward end thereof is provided with a number of vanes 20 which rotatably engage with the wall of the Venturi passage i5. rI he vanes 2li, however, may be omitted if desired.

In order to aiord axial adjustment of the element il, a threaded rod element 2| is rigidly and coaxially secured to the closed end of the burster tube 8, This threaded rod element has axiallythreaded engagement with the closed end i9 of the element il, the rearward end of the element Il being provided with a squared opening 22 for the reception of a correspondingly shaped end of a removable wrench element 23 shown in broken outline in Figure 1. The shank of the wrench element may be provided with suitable adjustment markings, such as for example, the spaced numerals i, 2 and'3 shown thereon.

It is to be noted that the Venturi passage is defined by the tapering surface 24 of the end portion I9 of the adjusting element I1 and the aring surrounding wall surface I5 of the casing I3. It is obvious that by rotating the element Il by the wrench device 23 axially rearwardly through the Venturi passage, the area of the Venturi passage will be decreased by reason of the increasing diameter of the end portion I9. In otherv words, if the wrench element 23 is rotated from the position shown in Figure 1 wherein the marking 3 is aligned with the end of the casing, to a position wherein the marking 2 'is .aligned with the end of the casing, the area of the Venturi passage will be decreased, with the result that greater pressures will be developed within atomen i 3 i the casing by the burning of the propelling charge' il. Preliminary studies of the device will, of

Obviously, various changes may be made in .the detailed construction and arrangement of course. for predetermined charge sticks 0 proexample, may indicate that the projectile;will

have a range of 2500 yards, and by the same token. when the element llisrotated to align the indicia 2 with the end of. the casing i3 and decrease the area of the Venturi passage, the indicia 2, for example, may indicate a range of 3500 yards, and thel indicia I may indicate a range of 4000 yardsi In other words, by decreasing the si of the Venturi passage the range can bev increased inasmuch as the propelling pressure is greater.

There is thus provided a means which will enable the person responsible for ring the projectile 'to manually adjust the same for projection over a given range. A

Obviously, the shank of the wrench element Such studies will also afford the parts described'without departing from the spirit and substance of the invention. the scope of which is defined by the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a Jet propulsion device having an annular casing terminating at one end in an axiallyopening Venturi passage and within which propelling pressures arev to be developed, and a cylindrical member concentrically disposed within -said casing and having an end terminating within said casing and spaced from said Venturi passage,

a 'shank portion carried by said last-mentioned end in coaxial alignment `with said Venturi passage and an adjusting element threadably drical` member disposed within said Venturi passage, and an opposite annular end portion surrounding the said end of said cylindrical member 'and having rotatable and slidable engagement 23 can be calibrated as desired to indicate' various viiring ranges of the projectile, each calibration vention has been described in connection with' rocket-type projectile, ithas to beunderstood that the same is applicable to any device' wherein it is desired to control or adjust the area of a l Venturi passage.

therewith, relative threading movement 0f said adjusting element and shank portion being eiective to axially move said element relative to said v passage to vary the area thereof.

WINSLOW B. POPE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this .'patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Oxland Dec. 2. 1941 

